


Rules of Acquisition

by helloshepard



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Gen, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-09 14:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6910531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloshepard/pseuds/helloshepard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unaired U.S. episode(s) spoilers. Two Gems learn coexistence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "Barn Mate"'s ending made me so stupidly happy I'm going to write a rarely-updated drabble series about these two becoming roomies.

A comedian might have appreciated Peridot and Lapis's expressions, equal parts surprise and annoyance, but Steven felt only anxiety.

The boy rubbed his chin to scratch at an imaginary beard, the action and the look in his eyes decades ahead of his young age. Adults would have laughed, but the Gems spared him only a glance, then locked eyes once more.

“I don't suppose...” Steven said, eyes darting from Lapis to Peridot. “You two could share?”

Lapis's frown is answer enough, even before a yelped: _“Steven!”_

“What?” Steven extended his hands out, away from his body. A show of innocence and neutrality, though neither Lapis nor Peridot could be expected to understand it.

“You guys got along on that gem ship, didn't you?”

“Of course! Compartmentalization of mission objectives is essential to success in the field.”

Peridot seemed _excited_. The Gem's small body practically vibrated, and her lime-green visor glowed as she continued speaking.

“—se, you didn't really know what was going on, so you can't really blame yourself for ending up in this predicament. Lazuli.” Peridot beamed. “It's not your fault!”

Steven stepped forward, interrupting before the blue Gem could retort:

“I don't think that's what she's upset about,” he guessed. “Right, Lapis?”

The other Gem nodded mutely.

“I think she just wasn't expecting you to be here. That's all.”

Steven sighed, wishing his guardian's long shadows were present to overlap his.

“Can't you guys just hang out here until we figure something out? There's plenty of space, and lots of things to do!” Steven waved his hands helplessly. “Peridot! You know! Stuff!”

Peridot's eyes widened.

“ _Camp Pining Hearts!”_

“Y-yeah.” Steven squinted. “Maybe later.”

He turned back to Lapis.

The other Gem's arms were crossed as she stared blankly at the ground.

“Lapis?” Steven inched closer. “You okay?”

“I trust you, Steven,” she said. “I'll give it three days, and then I'm gone.”

A warm, wet nose bumped Steven's back.

“Lion!”

The boy turned and the pink lion blinked once, then twice: the picture of innocence.

Steven frowned.

“You knew!”

Lion snorted.

“You knew Lapis wasn't gone, and that's why you left before me!”

The creature huffed, pushing past Lapis to sprawl on the dirt and close its eyes. Lapis stared, eyes wide.

Peridot seemed unperturbed.

“So. Lazuli.” the smaller Gem crossed her arms. “What do you know about _robots?”_  


	2. Chapter 2

“Peridot.”

Identifying tone and cadence were not included in Peridot's repertoire of talents. Slight inflections and volume changes usually went over her head, not to mention small hand twitches and microsecond blinks.

But out of necessity, Peridot had become (mostly) attuned to Lapis's fluctuating moods. A notebook, with words scribbled in black ink, detailed incidents, bad and good, since her tape recorder had been...lost.

The television hummed, giving off a soft glow as Percy leapt joyfully, shouting as Paulette accepted his gift.

Lapis's arms were crossed, eyes aimed down at the ground.

“Sorry!” Peridot said, hitting the 'mute' button with one finger. “Sorry. I know you need more rest than the average gem due to your overexertion while fused with Jasper.”

Lapis blinked. A look of surprise, perhaps, before her eyes shifted back to apathetic calm.

Peridot shifted in her seat, eyes wide.

“I'll keep the television silent. You need your rest.”

Lapis bristled.

“Er!” Peridot shrank back. “Not that you need a lot of rest! I just thought...”

Lapis stepped forward.

Frantically, Peridot scooted over, drawing her knees up to her chest. Lapis blinked once more, then sat.

“Thanks.”

Silence descended.

Peridot clenched her teeth, eyeing the remote.

On the screen, Paulette had managed to lose Percy's gift. Percy gestured wildly as Paulette shouted about... _something._ Definitely not on Lapis, whose eyes were glued to a space above the electronic box.

Forcing her eyes to remain on the television, Peridot reached for the remote.

Her fingers touched the remote, fumbling blindly for the 'mute' button.

“Peridot?”

The gem jumped out of her seat.

The remote clattered to the floor.

Peridot cringed.

“Y-yes?”

Lapis leaned over, and Peridot made a mental note to add _graceful_ to her notes.

“Here.”

The remote.

Peridot took it, hoping the other gem didn't notice her trembling hands. Quickly, she pressed the 'mute' button, then turned down the volume.

Quiet—not silence—descended. Peridot found her attention being split between the television (Paulette had found the gift) and Lapis.

Patience was further down the list of Peridot's talents, but the younger gem gritted her teeth and waited for the episode to finish before even _considering_ turning to look at the other gem.

As the credits rolled, Peridot sighed, pleased with herself and her own patience, then skipped to the next episode.

Trying to be subtle, Peridot squinted, slowly turning her head to glance at Lapis.

Despite sitting entirely upright, arms crossed, Lapis's eyes were closed.

Mentally, Peridot juggled the options of remaining where she sat to watch _Camp Pining Hearts_ for the rest of the night (not a bad option), turning off the television (also not a bad option, but it ran the risk of disturbing Lazuli's rest), and covering Lazuli with the blanket normally reserved for Steven (an action certified by _Camp Pining Hearts,_ but significantly higher in risk than the other two).

Paralyzed by indecision, Peridot continued to stare at the other gem as her mind tried to calculate the probabilities of success (or failure) of each action.

Perhaps closing her eyes would do the trick: after all, the introduction of a new resident _and_ the Rubies after the Cluster's pacification had sapped her own energy.

Perhaps...Peridot let her shoulders relax as _Camp Pining Hearts's_ theme song began to play.

Perhaps sleep was an acceptable fourth option.

 


End file.
